College World Series | Louisville eliminated in loss to TCU

U of L coach Dan McDonnell says he lost his cool after a controversial call that resulted in his ejection in the College World Series as they lost to TCU.
Sam Upshaw Jr./C-J

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U of L’s coach Dan McDonnell confronted an umpire after a controversial call at 2nd base during their game against TCU in Game 10 of the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. McDonnell was ejected from the game after the confrontation.
June 22, 2017(Photo: Sam Upshaw Jr./C-J)Buy Photo

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U of L’s Devin Mann (7) was dejected in the foreground as TCU celebrated in the background after being forced out at 2nd base to end their College World Series run in Omaha, Neb.
June 22, 2017
Sam Upshaw Jr./C-J

U of L’s Colin Lyman (35), right, embraced teammate Lincoln Henzman (15) after they lost to TCU during Game 10 of the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. U of L was eliminated from the tournament after the loss.
June 22, 2017
Sam Upshaw Jr./C-J

TCUÕs Ryan Merrill (5) tags U of LÕs Ryan Summers (33) on a controversial call at 2nd base during Game 10 of the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. The call lead to U of LÕs coach Dan McDonnell being ejected from the game after confronting an umpire.
June 22, 2017
Sam Upshaw Jr./C-J

U of L’s Logan Taylor (24), center, is greeted by teammate Devin Hairston (29) at the plate after hitting a homerun against TCU during Game 10 of the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
June 22, 2017
Sam Upshaw Jr./C-J

U of L’s Brendan McKay (38), right, is greeted by teammate Devin Hairston (29) at the plate after hitting a homerun as they trail TCU 4-2 during Game 10 of the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
June 22, 2017
Sam Upshaw Jr./C-J

U of L’s coach Dan McDonnell confronted an umpire after a controversial call at 2nd base during their game against TCU in Game 10 of the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. McDonnell was ejected from the game after the confrontation.
June 22, 2017
Sam Upshaw Jr./C-J

TCU’s Ryan Merrill (5) tags U of L’s Ryan Summers (33) on a controversial call at 2nd base during Game 10 of the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. The call lead to U of L’s coach Dan McDonnell being ejected from the game after confronting an umpire.
June 22, 2017
Sam Upshaw Jr./C-J

U of L’s coach Dan McDonnell was ejected after confronting an umpire following a controversial call at 2nd base during their game against TCU in Game 10 of the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
June 22, 2017
Sam Upshaw Jr./C-J

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OMAHA, Neb. — As nightfall descended Thursday on TD Ameritrade Park, the Louisville dugout began to quiet. By the seventh inning, the players who earlier had sprinted back to the dugout after the national anthem, who had happily greeted Logan Taylor after a home run, were still.

It was a night full of emotional highs and lows as Louisville (53-12) was eliminated from the College World Series in a 4-3 loss to TCU (49-17), a game that reached its peak when U of L coach Dan McDonnell was ejected in the eighth inning while disputing a caught stealing call.

"Obviously I lost my cool and just fought for my guy knowing the point of the game and how valuable that base was," McDonnell said, "but I'm never going to stand behind a camera and blame an umpire or anything like that. That's not the reason we lost."

Josh Stowers' RBI single and leadoff home runs from Brendan McKay and Taylor were not enough to power U of L to victory Thursday.

The Horned Frogs used a four-run second inning as a cushion for reliever Sean Wymer, who recorded five strikeouts and held the Cards scoreless through a final 4 1/3 innings.

The loss capped a program-best 53-win season for U of L, one which saw the team reach the NCAA tournament for a fifth straight year and earn the program's fourth College World Series appearance.

"When a season ends like this you try not to evaluate every pitch or play that happens in the game," McDonnell said. "You more want to recollect on the season and all the success and the joy that these guys brought us."

Left-hander Adam Wolf replaced U of L starter Nick Bennett on the mound two-thirds of the way through the second inning after the latter gave up four earned runs on three two-out hits.

Bennett sat TCU down in order in the first inning with 18 pitches and two strikeouts but crumbled in the next frame.

TCU third baseman Elliott Barzilli opened the floodgates with a two-out single through the right side, then stole second and third base. Connor Wanhanen smacked Bennett's full-count pitch to left field for an RBI double.

Bennett hit the next batter on the ankle to put two TCU runners on, and a double steal advanced the runners to second and third. Ryan Merrill singled and drove both runners home. In a close call, U of L catcher Colby Fitch nearly tagged the second runner out at the plate, but umpires ruled the runner safe following a review.

U of L pitching coach Roger Williams said that although the call was disappointing, he didn't think it entirely stifled the Cards' momentum.

"I don't think our kids panicked at all," he said. "They hung in and chipped away early. We just couldn't quite get all the way back."

On Wolf's first pitch, Austen Wade's RBI single gave the Horned Frogs a 4-0 advantage.

U of L got on the board in the third inning when Devin Mann scored on Josh Stowers' RBI single. The Cards left two more runners stranded, but their momentum would carry over into the next frame.

McKay blasted the first pitch of the inning over the right-field fence, his 18th home run of the season, to close the gap to 4-2. Hairston followed with a base hit, but Colin Lyman hit into a double play and Mann grounded out to halt U of L's rally.

The Horned Frogs threatened in the bottom of the fourth when they put two men on with two outs, but the Cards got a strikeout and caught a runner stealing to escape unscathed.

Taking a cue from McKay, Taylor hit the first pitch he saw in the fifth inning out of the park. It was the senior's first home run of the season.

"It's my last game in college and I get a home run, so I guess I can tell everybody that forever," Taylor said. "But we lost, so that's going to be what's remembered."

Neither team got another hit until Fitch led off the eighth inning with a single. Then, controversy struck: McDonnell got tossed from the game while arguing against a call where pinch runner Ryan Summers got caught stealing.

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"I knew I was safe," Summers said. "That's baseball; the umpire gets to make the call that he thinks is right. (McDonnell) came out there and asked me, I said I was safe, and it's in the past now. There's nothing you can do about it."

"I just know I'm emotional," McDonnell said. "I always say things that I'm sure are not the nicest things to say but you're not going to get the call overturned. A lot of times you just have to stick up for your guys and read their body language."

After McDonnell walked back into the tunnel, McKay struck out to snuff out the Cards' chances.

TCU loaded the bases with one out in the eighth, but U of L closer Lincoln Henzman forced two groundouts to work out of a jam.

That was of no consolation to the Cards, who fell short of a College World Series finals appearance for a fourth time.

A slight consolation, Summers said, was that U of L didn't feel its momentum die out until the final out.

"The reason we were the team the were and the reason we made it this far and ended our season in Omaha is because it doesn't matter the score – there's never a moment in the game where anyone felt like we don't have a chance," he said. "That's what's so special about this group."

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U of L’s Colin Lyman (35), right, embraced teammate Lincoln Henzman (15) after they lost to TCU during Game 10 of the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. U of L was eliminated from the tournament after the loss.
June 22, 2017(Photo: Sam Upshaw Jr./C-J)

Reporter Danielle Lerner can be reached at dlerner@courier-journal.com or 502-582-4042.